Tagline device



Jan. 30, 1968 R. A. MILLER ETAL 3,366,259

TAGLINE DEVICE Original Filed June 18, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I NVEN TOR. J Ell/7RD .4. MLLEA,

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Jan. 30, 1968 R. A. MILLER ETAL 3,366,259

TAGLINE DEVICE Original Filed June 18, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. fl/c/mpo A. M4459, a 6? BY flfiyMoMbr-g 60,2 0

Jan. 30, 1968 R. A. MILLER ETAL 3,366,259

TAGLINE DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed June 18, 1954 Hrraeusy;

United States Patent 3,366,259 TAGLINE DEVICE Richard A. Miller, Chino, and Raymond B. Cozadd, West Covina, Calif., assignors to Miller Swivel Products, Inc.,

Pomona, Calif., a corporation of California Continuation of application Ser. No. 376,134, June 18,

1964. This application Mar. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 625,555 7 Claims. (Cl. 214-657) This patent application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 376,134, filed June 18, 1964.

This invention relates to mechanisms for restraining a bucket or other material handling device, suspended on hoisting lines, from turning and swinging during operation of the hoisting equipment.

In order to prevent such turning and swinging of a bucket or the like suspended load induced by the twist in the supporting lines and the operation of the hoisting equipment, it is customary to fasten one end of an auxiliary line to a horizontally offset portion of the load and the other end to some distantly located means capable of resiliently taking in and paying out such line while maintaining it under suitable tension. Such means has become known as a tagline device.

Different kinds of tagline devices have heretofore been employed for maintaining such tension upon the tagline, such as, for example, a travelling gravity operated counterweight attached to the line and suitably mounted on the hoist boom, or a spring-operated drum on which the line is wound and upon which a suitable tension is maintained by means of the spring.

There are a number of objections to such tagline devices as heretofore employed, among them being that they lack sufficient damping or checking action, are usually excessively large, heavy, and complicated, and are susceptible to mechanical failures.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tagline device of improved mechanical construction and which may be readily mounted on the boom of a crane or the like hoisting means.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved tagline device which possesses a self-regulating damping action.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tagline device wherein a relatively large movement of the line is provided for by a relatively small movement of the mechanism of the tagline tensioning device, and having a construction which is more compact, less complicated and more reliable and durable than such mechanisms heretofore employed.

Other objects, advantages and features of novelty of this invention will be evident hereinafter.

In the drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and in which like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a view illustrating a typical installation of the tagline device of the invention, on a conventional crane boom;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the general assembly of the tagline devices;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the apparatus of FIGURE 2 showing portions thereof in longitudinal section;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view opposite to that shown in FIGURE 2, with portions broken away and in vertical section;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a detailed view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURES 4 and 5;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed sectional view taken on line 88 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detailed sectional view as taken on line 9-9 of FIGURES 2 and 6 and also as enclosed within the circled line 9 in FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged, cross sectional view taken on line 1010 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now principally to FIGURE 1, in which is illustrated a typical installation of the apparatus of the invention, a typical crane is indicated generally at 10, having a chassis 12 mounted on wheel 14, a cab 16, and a boom conventionally mounted and supported thereon. Suspended from the outer end of the boom 18 by means of hoisting cable 20 is a clam shell bucket 22. While for convenience of illustration, the tagline apparatus of this iivention is illustrated in connection with a conventional portable crane, operating a clam shell bucket, it is to be understood that the apparatus of this invention is equally applicable to other similar forms of lifting or hoisting equipment and other types of loads.

A tagline cable 24 is attached at its outer end to a suitable, horizontally offset part 26 of the bucket 22 and is operatively connected at the other end to the tagline device shown generally at 30, suitably mounted on the midsection of the boom 18.

Referring next primarily to FIGURE 2, the tagline apparatus comprises, as its main components, a flanged tagline reel 32 on which the tagline 24 is wound, the tagline being guided onto the reel 32 by a fairlead guidance assembly 36, a main pneumatic cylinder 38, a surge and chain receiver cylinder 40, a cylinder-head case 42, and a reel shaft housing 44.

Referring now principally to FIGURES 3-10 inclusive, a more detailed description of the beforementioned principal components and assembly of the apparatus is as follows:

The tagline reel 32 is fixed on one end of a reel shaft 46 which is in turn rotatably journaled on a pair of radial ball bearing assemblies 48 and 50, contained adjacent opposite ends of a reel shaft housing 44. To the opposite end of the reel shaft 46 is fixed a reel drive chain sprocket 52. The reel shaft housing 44 is attached to the lower side of the beforementioned cylinder head case 42 by suitable means such as by are or gas welding, one or more gusset members being welded therebetween as shown at 54 for added strength. It is to be noted that the reel shaft housing 44 and the cylinder head case 42 are separate from one another with no interconnecting passage. The beforementioned fairlead assembly 36 is supported on arm 37 which is pivotally supported by a collar 39 upon an end portion of the reel shaft housing 44.

A drive shaft 56 is rotatably journaled in the cylinderhead case 42 upon a pair of radial ball bearing assemblies 58 and 60 as best shown in FIGURE 9. The innermost radial ball bearing assembl 60 is contained within a cylindrical recess 62 formed in the closed end of the cylinder-head case 42, and the outermost radial ball bearing assembly 58 is retained in a cylindrical recess 64, the outer, otherwise open end of which is closed by a generally annular bearing retainer and seal housing member 66. Keyed at 67 to the outer end of the drive shaft 56 is a drive chain sprocket 68. Contained within an annular recess formed between a counter bore 70 of the bearing retainer and seal housing member 66 and the outside diameter of a polished section 72 of the drive shaft 56, is a resilient, pressure seal ring 74.

The cylinder-head case 42 is attached by suitable means such as by are or gas welding as shown at 76 and 78 to one face of a cylinder carrier plate 80, the shape of which is best shown in FIGURE 10. Attached to the opposite face of the cylinder carrier plate 80 by suitable means such as by are or gas welding, as illustrated at 82 and 84, are the inner ends of the beforementioned main Cylinder 38 and surge and chain receiver cylinder 40. Such inner ends of the cylinders 38 and 40 are in communication with the interior of the cylinder-head case 42 through apertures 86 and 88 respectively, formed through the carrier plate 80.

Axially slidably contained within the bore of the main cylinder 38 is a piston assembly shown generally at 99. The piston assembly 99 comprises a disc shaped piston body 92 and a disc shaped piston guide 94 coaxially interconnected in axially spaced-apart relation by means of a central anchor pin 96. The spacing between the piston body 92 and piston guide 94 is maintained by a spacer sleeve 98, and the whole assembly maintained coupled together upon the anchor pin 96 by means of an end cap screw 100. An O-ring seal 102 is provided in an annular groove 104 formed in an intermediate portion of the anchor pin 96 to provide an airtight seal between the inner head end 106 of the anchor pin 96 and the beforementioned piston body 92. The piston body 92 is provided with a piston ring assembly comprising an O-ring 107 and a back-up ring 109 contained in a peripheral piston ring groove 111. O-ring type guide rings are also provided at 113 and 115 in peripheral grooves in the piston body 92 and the piston guide 94 respectively. The O-ring 107 may be composed of a suitable elastomer or preferably of a material such as polyurethane. The back-up ring 109 and the guide rings 113 and 115 may be made of nylon or the like material.

The beforementoined inner head end 106 of the piston anchor pin 92 is formed to receive one end of a piston chain 108, preferably of a double roller type, the attachment of one end of the chain to the anchor pin head 106 being accomplished by means of a cross-pin 110. The piston chain 108 extends axially through the inner portion of the main cylinder 38 and into the cylinder-head case 42 where it passes in driving engagement over a pair of chain sprockets 112 and 114, integrally formed on an intermediate portion of the drive shaft 56. The piston chain 108 extends from its point of driving engagement with the beforementioned chain sprockets 112 and 114, angularly down through a guidance channel formed between a portion of the lower surface of the cylinderhead case and the under surface of a parallel chain guide member 116 and thence through the hereinbefore mentioned aperture 88 in the cylinder carrier plate 80, into the inner end of the beforementioned chain receiver cylinder 40, as shown at 118.

Coaxially supported within the length of the chain receiver cylinder 40 is a chain guide consisting of a pair of guide strips or plates 120 and 122 which extend in parallel, vertically spaced-apart relation to one another substantially diametrically across the bore of cylinder 40 and substantially throughout the length thereof. The outer end of the chain receiver cylinder 40 is provided with a fluid tight closure comprising a welded-on receiver cap 124. The center of the receiver cap 124 is provided with a threaded hole 126 into which is threaded a dead end plug member 128 carrying an internal, coaxially extending attachment eye memer 130. interconnecting the inner end 132 of the piston chain 108 and the attachment eye member 130, is an elongated, resilient or elastic tension member 134. This tension member 134 may be composed of a suitable elastomer such as rubber or neoprene or, in some cases, may take the form of a helical spring.

Sealingly closing the outer end of the main cylinder 38 is a main cylinder end cap 136. The end cap 136 is formed with an inner cylindrical portion 138 which fits within the end bore of the cylinder, and with an outer, radially extending flange portion 140 which seats against the outer end of the cylinder wall. The cap 136 is secured on the end of the main cylinder 38 by means of a plurality of retainer screws 142 which extend radially through the outer end portion of wall of the cylinder, into the inner cylindrical portion 138 of the end cap. A fluid tight seal is provided between the end cap 136 and the bore of the main cylinder 38 by means of an O-ring seal 144 contained in an annular groove 146 formed around the exterior surface of the beforementioned inner cylindrical portion 138 of the end cap.

The hereinbefore mentioned drive chain sprocket 68 carried on the outer end of the drive shaft 56 and the reel drive sprocket 52 carried on the end of the reel shaft 46, are interconnected by means of an endless reel drive chain 146.

Threaded into the lower portion of the cylinder-head case 42 is a pressure relief valve 148 and a filler valve 150. The pressure relief valve may be of any suitable standard make-operative to release internal pressure from the enclosed space comprising the inner end of the main cylinder 38, the cylinder-head case 42 and the chain receiver cylinder 40, in event the pressure therein exceeds a predetermined maximum value.

The filler valve may be a conventional Shrader type pneumatic tire valve, to which a detachable pressure connection may be made for pressurizing the beforementioned space contained within the inner end of the main cylinder 38, cylinder-head case 42 and chain receiver cylinder 40, to a predetermined desired pressure.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

With either the pressure relief valve 148 or the filler valve 150 removed from the cylinder-head case to relieve any pressure therein and thereby permit free movement of the mechanism, a suflicient length of the tagline 124 is unreeled from the cable reel 32 to permit connection by suitable means, such as the hook 152, to the hereinbefore mentioned point of connection 26 to the bucket 22. Then with the bucket stationary at an intermediate, suspended height, a compressible fluid, preferably a gas such .as air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or the like, is introduced through the filler valve 150, from a suitable pressure source until the pressure within the before described enclosed portion of the apparatus, namely, the inner end of the main cylinder 18, the cylinder-head case 42 and the chain receiver cylinder 40, attain a desired pressure.

It has been found that with the piston assembly 99 initially located axially at approximately a mid-position within the main cylinder 38, as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 6, when the tagline is connected to the bucket as beforementioned, a suitable initial pressure is approximately With such initial pressure, then in operation, as the piston 99 moves axially in the cylinder 38 in either direction from the mid position by reason of movement of the tagline 24 resulting from motions imparted to the bucket including any twisting or swinging action which occurs, such pressure will vary, for example, between approximately 250 and approximately 400 pounds per square inch. The outer end of the main cylinder 38 being closed by the cap 136, as the piston 99 moved toward or away from the inner end thereof, the pressure in the outer end will correspondingly vary, respectively falling below atmospheric and rising "above atmospheric pressure. These changes in pressure combined with the higher pressure in the inner end of the cylinder, result in a pressure differential which acts upon the piston assembly 99.

Whenever outward swinging motion or twisting of the bucket 32 occurs which tends to withdraw tagline 34 from the reel 32, rotation is imparted to the reel shaft chain sprocket :52 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2, or in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG- URE 6, in turn resulting through t-he interconnecting cable reel drive chain 146 in similar directional rotation of the drive chain sprocket 68; Such rotation of the drive chain sprocket 68 is transferred through the drive shaft 56 to the piston chain sprockets 1'12 and 114 and thence to the piston chain 108. The resultant increase in tension and movement of piston chain 108 causes the piston assembly '99 to move toward the inner or cylinder-head end of the main cylinder 38. Such movement of the piston assembly 99 increases the pressure in the enclosed portion of the system, and reduces the pressure in the outer end of the main cylinder 38, thereby increasing the resistance to such piston movement, which in turn reacts through the hereinbefore described mechanism to resist the unwinding of the tagline 24 from the reel and increase the tension therein. Such increased resistance, and tension in tagline 24, acts to check the swinging action which initiated the unreeling action of the tagline.

Likewise, any inward swinging motion or twisting action of the bucket 22 effectively toward the crane boom 1'8, results in the opposite actuation of the apparatus tending to reduce tension in the tagline 24 and thus reduce the tendency for such swinging or twisting action.

Whenever the movement of the tagline 24 is such as to cause the piston chain 108 to move toward the inner or cylinder-head case end of the main piston 38, the opposite end portion of the chain 108, which is guidingly contained within the chain receiver cylinder 40, is drawn into and maintained under tension within the cylinder 40, between the guides 120 and 122, by means of the resilient tension member 134. Constant, firm engagement of the piston chain 108 with the drive sprockets 112 and 114 is thus maintained.

It is to be noted that the relative diameters of the several hereinbefore described chain sprockets are such as to establish a ratio of the rotational movement of the tagline reel shaft 46 as compared with the piston chain drive shaft 56 which is relatively high, which in turn results in permitting a relatively large withdrawal and take up movement of the tagline 24 wit-h a relatively small axial movement of the piston assembly 99 within the main cylinder 38. For example, in an actual construction of the apparatus of the invention, a gear ratio between the drive shaft 56 and the reel shaft 46, and a reel diameter, such as to result in a ratio of movement of the tagline relative to movement of the piston assembly 99, of approximately 18 to 1, has been found satisfactory in most installations. Under such conditions, the pressure in the enclosed portion of the device varies in operation between approximately 250 and approximately 400 pounds per square inch, as beforementioned. The sprocket sizes and gear ratios can obviously be varied to meet specific requirements for different hoisting and operating conditions.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative only, and that the invention is not to be limited thereby, but may include various modifications and changes made by those skilled in the art without distinguishing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tagline device of the character described, apparatus comprising:

a first cylinder;

a piston reciprocably contained in said first cylinder;

a second cylinder; 1

a cylinder-head case attached to and communicating with one end of said first cylinder and one end of said second cylinder, said case and said cylinders forming a fluid tight enclosure;

a rotatably journaled shaft extending into said case through fluid seal means between said shaft and said case;

a chain sprocket on said shaft in saidcase;

a chain in said enclosure in driving engagement with said sprocket and having one end thereof attached to said piston and the other end thereof extending guidedly into said second cylinder;

and resilient means in said second cylinder acting between said chain and said second cylinder to maintain tension in said chain.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and wherein said first cylinder and said second cylinder are adjacently positioned with their longitudinal axes substantially parallel with one another.

3. In a tagline device, apparatus comprising:

a first cylinder;

a piston reciprocably contained in said first cylinder;

21 second cylinder;

a cylinder-head case attached to and communicating with one end of said first cylinder and one end of said second cylinder, said case, said cylinders, and said piston forming a fluid tight enclosure;

a drive shaft rotatably journaled in said case and having one end thereof extending through fluid seal means to the interior of said case;

a chain sprocket fixed on said drive shaft within said case;

a chain in said enclosure in driving engagement with said sprocket and having one end portion thereof attached to said piston and the other end portion thereof extending into said second cylinder;

a reel shaft carrying a cable reel rotatably mounted on the exterior of said cylinder-head case;

a second chain sprocket on said reel shaft;

2. third chain sprocket fixed on said drive shaft exterior of said case;

and drive chain means drivingly interengaging said second and third chain sprockets.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein the gear ratio of the said reel shaft relative to the said drive shaft is greater than one.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 and wherein said first cylinder and said second cylinder are adjacently positioned with their longitudinal axes substantially parallel with one another.

6. In a tagline tensioning control device including in combination therewith a hoist means having a load suspended therefrom and a tagline adapted to be secured adjacent one end portion thereof to said load, apparatus comprising:

a cylinder;

a piston reciprocably contained in said cylinder;

a closed cylinder-head case connected to and communicating with one end of said cylinder;

a shaft rotatably journaled in said case and having an end portion thereof extending to the exterior thereof through fluid seal means, said cylinder, cylinderhead case, piston and shaft forming a closed, fluidtight enclosure, in operation containing therein a fixed quantity of compressible fluid under pressure;

drive means within said enclosure drivingly interconnecting said piston and said shaft such that limited rotation of said shaft in one direction causes axial movement of said piston in a direction in said cylinder to compress said fluid in said enclosure, and limited rotation of said shaft in the other direction permits axial movement of said piston in a direction in said cylinder as to permit expansion of said fluid in said enclosure, whereby a rotational torque in one direction in said shaft may be maintained;

and a cable reel rotatably supported exterior of said case drivingly coupled to said shaft and upon which the other end portion of said tagline cable is wound.

'7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 and: i

a second cylinder with one end of which said cylinderhead case is connected and communicates, said cylinders, cylinder-head case, piston and shaft forming said closed fluid-tight enclosure;

and in which said drive means comprises:

a chain sprocket fixed on said shaft Within said enclosure;

and a drive chain in said enclosure having an intermediate portion thereof in driving engagement with said sprocket and having one end portion thereof attached to said piston and the other end portion thereof extending into said second cylinder.

8 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1952 Orton 214657 9/1952 Schweisthal 24286 

1. IN A TAGLINE DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, APPARATUS COMPRISING: A FIRST CYLINDER; A PISTON RECIPROCABLY CONTAINED IN SAID FIRST CYLINDER; A SECOND CYLINDER; A CYLINDER-HEAD CASE ATTACHED TO AND COMMUNICATING WITH ONE END OF SAID FIRST CYLINDER AND ONE END OF SAID SECOND CYLINDER, SAID CASE AND SAID CYLINDERS FORMING A FLUID TIGHT ENCLOSURE; A ROTATABLY JOURNALED SHAFT EXTENDING INTO SAID CASE THROUGH FLUID SEAL MEANS BETWEEN SAID SHAFT AND SAID CASE; 